Intertwine
by Mew Etchari
Summary: A mysterious girl appears in the cafe. And she claims to be Ryou and Ichigo's daughter! RyouxIchigo fic. Sorry, I stink at summarys. Rating to be safe
1. The strange little girl

_Note: Whoot! My first RxI fic! I don't own any of the characters except for Rinji, who is all mine. (I have roleplayed her very little on Kokoro, in case anyone recognizes her). Anyway, here ya go! It's from Ryou's POV._

* * *

"Shirogane!" 

I looked up as the red-head burst through the doors, trying to catch her breath. "Your late." I stated flatly, glancing out in the dining area at the other girls working. Or their definition of working, anyway.

She glared at me, still breathing hard. "Th-there's…a…girl…" She managed to gasp out in between deep breaths.

I stared at her, still unsure of what she was saying. "What?"

She growled, flustered with my lack of understanding, "There's a little girl outside the café! She's unconscious! And she has cat ears and tail!" She stomped her foot on the ground, managing to burst out the sentence before loosing breath once more.

The last bit surprised me more then the rest. I walked to the door. "Get to work, I'll take care of her."

Ichigo stared at me angrily. "But…that girl!"

"I'll take care of her. Now start working. You're late, remember?"

Her face turned red as she stomped off, angry. "All you ever think about is work!"

Keiichiro moved to the side to avoid being trampled by the angry girl. He looked at me in confusion. I sighed, opening the door. "Ichigo said there was a girl with cat ears out here. I told her to get to work and I would take care of the girl."

"I see." Keiichiro offered a slight smile and followed me out the door. "That would explain her fit…"

"But the baka never told me where to look." I grumbled under my breath. Ichigo had a way of annoying me, even if it was a kind of my fault. I had sent her out before she had a chance to tell details.

Keiichiro searched the opposite direction I was looking. "Well, what did she tell you?"

"Nothing, except there was a little girl with cat ears outside the café. Maybe she-"

I was interrupted by a loud crash as Keiichiro toppled a trashcan over. I looked up, a bit confused. Keiichiro was never that clumsy. "Keiichiro?"

"Ryou…I think you should come here…" He sounded shocked.

"Did you find her?" I straightened and walked over to him, peering over his shoulder. I gaped at the child I saw lying unconscious.

"Ryou…is it just me…" Keiichiro waved his hand over the girl, "Or…does she look extraordinarily like you?"

I could barely believe it. The little girl curled up next to the trash cans bore a freakish resemblance. She had blonde hair about chin length, with the tips dark pink. She was wearing a dark purple sleeveless shirt with a white flower on it and a light blue skirt. Nothing out of the ordinary. But two long, brown cat ears were clearly visible on top of her head, and a long, thin cat tail was curled around her. She appeared to be about nine, if not younger.

I knelt down and shook her gently, trying to wake her up. She didn't flinch. Sighing, I carefully picked the odd little girl up in my arms. Being young, she seemed to weigh nothing at all. "Come on, we should get her inside."

Keiichiro touched one of her slightly curved ears. "Where could she have come from?"

I shook my head, walking towards the door. "That's what we need to find out."

Keiichiro sped up and held the door open for me as I carried the light sleeping girl. The minute I entered the door, I was nearly attacked by my eager employees.

"See? Look! The poor thing! She's unconscious!" Ichigo pounced on my arm, looking at the little girl.

"Um…is it just me or does she remind you of someone?" Mint smirked, tapping the sleeping girl on the forehead. Becoming unexplainably defensive, I backed off, keeping the girl from their reach.

"Yup, she looks like Shirogane! Na no da!" Pudding bounced up into the air, trying to catch glimpses of the guest.

"Kyaaa, she's the daughter you never had!" Ichigo prodded me with her finger mockingly.

"She looks like you, too, Ichigo." Zakuro mumbled cooly, walking back out into the dining area.

"Wh-what?" Ichigo's face reddened, though I didn't know if it was from embarrassment or anger, "What is that supposed to mean?"

I sighed, somewhat shouldering my way past the girls. "You're all going to disturb the customers." I grumbled, walking towards my room.

"What are you going to do with her?" Lettuce spoke up timidly, watching me go by.

"Let her sleep. When she wakes up, we'll see where she's from and try to get her back." I answered simply, "And if I remember correctly, you all still have a job."

I walked up the stairs and to my room. Relieved to be out of sight from the gabby Mews, I closed the door behind me, setting the mystery girl onto my bed. She instantly curled up again, just like a cat. I couldn't help but smile. "I wonder where you're from…" I thought aloud. I had this strange feeling about her.

Shaking my head, I walked back out to the café area, leaving the girl to sleep.

* * *

I quietly watched the girls work around the café. Or Ichigo overwork, Mint drink tea, Lettuce trip and break yet another plate, Pudding perform and ask for tips, and Zakuro…doing whatever. I sighed. The 'Shirogane girl' as she had been so fondly dubbed had barely even stirred. She was nothing but a mystery. 

My thoughts were interrupted by a tap on my shoulder. I looked over at Keiichiro's confused face. "Something wrong?"

He looked around, sighing. "Maybe. The girl woke up."

I straightened. "What did you find out about her?"

"She's…" He glanced around again, "She said she's looking for her parents."

I looked at him strangely. He was avoiding telling me something. "And her parents are…?"

He sighed, shaking his head, "This is going to sound strange, but she says-"

At that moment, she appeared around the corner. Her huge blue eyes lit up when she noticed me. She instantly dashed over, throwing her arms around my waist and nearly knocking the wind out of me. "Daddy!" She cried out, clinging to me.

I stared in shock at the child hugging me. _'Daddy?'_

It took me a few seconds to realize I was getting horrified stares from the girls, and even some of my customers. I tore the girl away from me in agitation and dragged her back into the kitchen. As soon as we were safe from the shocked stares, I knelt to the girls eye level. "I-I beg your pardon?"

She blinked innocently, rocking back and forth on her heels. "Whaddaya mean, Daddy?"

I shook my head as Keiichiro joined my interrogation, "Listen, um, little girl, I'm not your father."

Tears formed on the edge of her large eyes. "Yes you are!" She stated obstinately, "You **are**! This is your café and I live here with you and Mom!"

My eyebrow arched. "Mom?"

She nodded emphatically. I groaned and rubbed my forehead. I silently hoped she didn't think it was someone I knew, or that would be awkward. "What's your name?" Keiichiro asked before I could.

She frowned. "Rinji Shirogane!"

I studied the girl carefully. She seemed too young to make this story up by herself. "Listen, Rinji, I'm afraid I don't have any children. Or a wife, for that matter. I-"

"Shirogane!" Ichigo burst through the kitchen door, "Shirogane, what's going on? Is this a joke? Because-"

"Mom!" Rinji lit up once more. I groaned. _'No way…'_

Ichigo stopped dead in her tracks. "Wha-what did you just call me?"

"Mom!" She repeated happily, hugging her as well.

Ichigo stared at me horrified. "Oh no. No, there is no way! I am completely faithful to Masaya. There is no way!"

I stood up, grumbling. "Listen-"

"Is this a joke, Shirogane?" She snapped, "Because it's not funny!"

I spread my arms out helplessly. "Why would I want someone to act like our daughter?" I demanded, getting more annoyed.

"I'm not pretending!" Rinji stomped her foot on the ground. She looked up at me, her large blue eyes glistening. "Are you mad at me, Daddy? Are you pretending you don't know me because I played in the basement and made that big flash?"

Keiichiro and I exchanged glances. "Big…flash?"

She nodded, sniffling. "I was playing with the big metal thing and it flashed and made me sleepy. When I woke up, you didn't remember me."

I stared at her hard. "Rinji, what year is it?" I asked slowly.

She blinked. "Year two thousand thirteen."

Keiichiro and I groaned. Ichigo gaped. "Wh-what?"

I sat down, growling under my breath. "From what I gather, Rinji is from the future. Or some…parallel dimension. A time machine transported her here."

Rinji scratched her cat ear. "Really? Cool!"

"Not cool." I glared at the little girl, "Because we have no way of getting you back."

_Note: I tried to make it longer XX Ah, butI'm sure you can see where this is going. I'll try my very best to update soon._


	2. Explanations

_I'm sorry for my extreme laziness. (Once again) I've had writers block and little inspiration to write. I apologize._

_But thank you for the good reviews. Once again, the only character I own is Rinji and all that fun stuff._

* * *

"Woah, come again?" Ichigo snapped. "You did not say future!"

"What if I did?" My gaze stayed transfixed on the little girl, who seemed thoroughly interested in everything now that she knew this wasn't her original time.

"If she was from the future, that would mean that I…" Ichigo's voice trailed and her face wrinkled in disgust, "That would mean I married you! Ewwww!"

I grumbled under my breath. _'Is it that bad?'_

Rinji had plunked down on the floor, twirling and unwrapping the slender brown cat tail she had around her finger. "What's wrong, Mom?"

Ichigo seemed very aggravated at the little girl. "Listen, please don't call me Mom."

"Ok, Mama."

The red-head began to protest, but I cut her off. "Just let her call us what she will, Ichigo." I ordered.

"Why? What if I'm with Masaya and she pops up and calls me Mama?"

"Masaya?" Rinji's face wrinkled in disgust, "Why would you want to be with him? He's yucky."

I found myself greatly amused by my supposed daughter now. However, I thought it would be best I explained. "Rinji, things are a little different in this time." I glanced at Ichigo, "Ichigo and I aren't married. Or anything even close."

"I am completely faithful to Masaya." Ichigo added her severely clichéd line.

Rinji stared at us both for a long while. "So…you don't love Daddy?" She asked in confusion.

"No." The answer came out…maybe too quickly.

There was silence. It seemed as if the girl was mulling that over in her head, trying to decide how she felt. "Why?"

"It's better not to ask." I put in before I could hear Ichigo's side.

This was mulled over even more. Rinji's little shoulders heaved, "OK…"

It was followed by silence. Deciding that meant Rinji understood, I stood up and pointed to the door. "Ichigo, if I remember correctly, your work isn't finished. I'm sure the others will be pleased to pound you with questions."

Ichigo glanced at Rinji, then silently went for the door. As she opened it, I wasn't surprised to see Lettuce, Pudding, and Mint tumble inside, Zakuro standing over them. I should have guessed they had been listening.

"You girls…" I grumbled.

"So, you two really do have a daughter?" Mint prodded instantly as she dusted herself off.

"She's very cute." Lettuce added sweetly.

"She's from another dimension or something." Ichigo defended herself.

Pudding had slipped foreword and was staring at Rinji intently. "Ah! She has cat ears, na no da!"

"Are you sure its safe to have them out?" Mint pointed out.

"Can we not talk about it?" Ichigo half squeaked as she tried to pull attention away from Rinji. "Now come on! We have work to do!"

I knew Ichigo must really want to avoid the subject of the mysterious little girl if she was suggesting work. The five nosily clamored out, still asking Ichigo the strangest questions. I, meanwhile, turned my attention back to my 'daughter'.

"How old are you?"

Rinji looked up, eyes bright. "Eight-years-old!"

Keiichiro came back in the conversation, though I had forgotten he was there, "Where did you get those cat ears from?"

She looked up as if she expected to see them. "Oh, I accidentally in-jec-ted myself with cat DNA when I was playing in Daddy's lab. He wasn't happy with me."

So, they were real. "Rin-chan," I folded my arms across my chest, "You may want to make them disappear if you plan to go out in public."

"I can't."

Her answer took me back a bit. "What?"

"Daddy said the research wasn't completely done," She explained, tracing her finger along the trenches in the tile, "so I can't put my ears away."

She had to live with her cat ears and tail showing for the rest of her life? I felt myself pitying her. "I…see…"

"Ryou, what should we do with her?" Keiichiro looked down at her, a frown on his face.

I paused before shrugging. "Keep her here, I suppose. I know Ichigo wouldn't take her and I don't exactly trust any of the other girls." I shuddered as I thought of what Pudding would do with the poor thing.

Rinji clapped her hands together. "Yay! I get to stay with Daddy!"

"Until we get you back to your own time." I corrected.

"How long will that be?"

Keiichiro and I exchanged glances. We had been constructing a sort of time machine in the lab, but I wasn't sure how close it was to completion. "I'm…not sure."

"OK! I want to stay here longer anyway!" Rinji stood up and hugged me again. "Thank you, Daddy!"

I felt a bit silly, but I gently pat the girl's blonde hair. "Ah…no problem, Rin-chan."

I looked up as Rinji released me. "I better make sure the girls are doing…something." I slowly exited the kitchen, still wondering about my daughter.

---

Rinji watched her father leave before looking up at Keiichiro. "Mama doesn't love Daddy? That seems strange to me."

Keiichiro smiled, turning to begin some dishes. "Well, if you want to know the truth, I think the two care about each other more then either let on."

The eight-year-old paused. "Then why don't they act like they love each other?"

"I'm not sure, Rinji."

The girl frowned, staring at the door. "I don't like it when Mama talks about Mr. Masaya like that here. In my time place, Daddy never liked him."

Keiichiro couldn't help but chuckle. "I think that may hold true now."

"And Mama loves Daddy in my place, she doesn't talk about Mr. Masaya like that."

He placed a wet plate on the counter. "Like what?"

She paused, scratching her cat ear thoughtfully. "Like he's the most important person ever." She frowned, "I don't like Mr. Masaya, even if Mama makes me be polite to him."

This made Keiichiro chuckle again. "I'm sorry if your disappointed, Rinji."

Rinji began to finger her tail thoughtfully. "Mr. Keiichiro?"

"Yes Rinji?"

"If Daddy really cares about Mama here, is there a way I can make them admit it?"

He smiled fondly at her. "Do you want to?"

"Yes."

"Then I guess I can't stop you from trying."

* * *

_Sorry, this chapter is kind of short. I thought that seemed like a good place to end.  
'na no da' is a strange string of words Pudding adds to the end of her sentence  
'-chan' is a suffix most commonly used when refering to girls (commonly)_

_I'll try to put up a new chapter as soon as I can. _


	3. Confrontations

_Wow, two chapters within a few days of each other? Can it be? Yes! Rejoice! _

_I was in a writing mood, plus, I had pretty much this whole chapter planned out in my head. Just to let you know, anything from here on out is going to be pretty spontaneous. You have been warned. I'm glad Rinji has gathered some admiration from all y'all. _

_Chibi Strawberry Neko- Yes, actually, 'Rinji' does have a meaning. It means "Special' in Japanese. So basically her full name means 'Special Platinum'. Hope that answers your question _

_I don't own any TMM characters, but Rinji is mine, blah blah you know the drill. OK, let's go._

* * *

Ichigo let out a long breath as she finished folding up her work uniform, pulling at her skirt in annoyance. Another work day was finally finished. Humming, the Mew threw her uniform carelessly to the side as she peered out the open door expectantly.

"Hi, Mama."

Ichigo screeched and turned sharply, startled as Rinji seemed to pop up out of nowhere behind her. "Rinji!" She scolded, "You shouldn't sneak up on me."

"Sorry, Mama." The eight-year-old lowered her head and rocked back and forth on her heels, giving Ichigo one of those 'I'm too cute to yell at' looks.

Almost in a panic stricken way, Ichigo stuck her head out the door and looked around. No one was there. _'Good.'_ She sighed. "Please don't call me Mama, especially not right now."

"Why?"

"Masaya is coming, and we're going on a date." She explained, "He doesn't know your…well, here. And I'd like to keep it that way."

The offended look the came to Rinji's face sent a pang of regret through Ichigo, but she did her best to dismiss it. Even though she wouldn't admit it, Ichigo was pretty selfish when it came to Masaya.

However, Rinji studied the ground, shrugging. "OK, Mama." She ignored Ichigo's first complaint, "Do you know where Daddy is?"

Ichigo turned her back to the girl. "Um, that lab of his, I think."

"Mmkay."

The sadness in Rinji's voice had a strange strangle hold on Ichigo's heart. _'Snap out of it.'_ She chided herself, _'Your faithful to Masaya, right?'_

'_Right?'_

* * *

I sat under the florescent lights of my lab, staring at the pretty much unusable shell of the time machine I had started. I defiantly couldn't consider sending a defenseless girl through it. 

My attention was caught as I heard the door creak open. I didn't look up, since I knew only one person seemed to come down here. "Come down, Keiichiro."

"Mr. Keiichiro isn't here." The high-pitched voice surprised me for a second, "He said he had to go to the store for food."

This time I actually turned to see Rinji standing unsurely at the top of the stairs, peering down. "Oh, hello, Rin-chan."

"Hello." She tilted her head to the side so one of her pointed brown cat ears brushed against her shoulder. "Can…I come down?"

I looked around the random inventions I had sprawled out. "Um…" I looked up, "I guess. But you need to be careful. And you can't come down unless I'm here."

"I know." She carefully skipped down the steps and weaved in between wires and other obstacles to reach me. "I learned that in my place."

I couldn't help but smile a little, but my smile faded as I looked at the girl. "Something wrong, Rin-rin?"

"Yeah…I guess…kind of…" She sat down on the floor at my feet, looking up. "Mama said she was going on a date with Mr. Masaya."

I smiled gently, patting the girl on the head. "Sorry to tell you, Rinji, but your Mama does that a lot in our time."

"Yeah, that's what Mr. Keiichiro said." She studied the tile floor, "It makes me sad though."

"Why is that?" It seemed like a silly question after I said it. As far as she was concerned, Rinji knew Ichigo as her mother. Seeing her go out with another guy probably confused the girl.

"Mama-" She cut herself off, pausing. "Things are different in my time."

I couldn't help but notice the way she said that. The way 'different' came out almost sent a chill up my spine. _'Did something happen in her time?'_

"And Mama said I shouldn't call her Mama in front of Mr. Masaya or anyone."

I could tell that pried on the child's mind. "Well, Rin," I tried to think of a good way to explain, "Your Mama in this time is pretty much obsessed with Mr. Masaya. She wouldn't be to thrilled if he thought she had a daughter with me."

Rinji folded her arms across her chest, her brow furrowing in thought. "Oh…" She looked up at me, "But don't you like Mama?"

My mind flashed back to the countless spats me and the strawberry had gotten into. "At times, it's debatable."

The cat girl popped up from the floor to her feet. "But sometimes people fight because they think they like someone else, and don't want to admit they like the person they fight with!" She frowned, "That's what Mama said in my place…"

It took a few seconds for my mind to sort out the meaning of her jumbled eight-year-old explanation. When I finally was able to understand, roughly, what she was trying to say, I frowned. "Rinji…maybe things are different here." That was all I could say. In truth, I didn't really understand Ichigo, or how I felt about her. But part of me refused to admit that this little girl knew more about these matters then I did.

Her mouth screwed to the side a little. "I…guess." She straightened, "I wish Mama liked me more here."

I looked at my daughter's face. This really seemed to bother her. "…was she still upstairs when you came down?"

Her head bobbed. I stood up. "I'll be right back, Rinji. You can stay here, if you want. Just don't touch anything." I pat her head and quickly walked up the steps.

* * *

I almost felt relieved when I saw Ichigo still standing in the doorway, waiting for her beloved Masaya. I didn't see why she liked him so much. Something about him rubbed me the wrong way. 

"Ichigo!"

She looked at me in obvious annoyance, as if my presence had spoiled her entire evening. "Shirogane? I'm done working for the day! What do you want?"

"I want to talk about Rinji."

It was easy to see her tense up. "What about her?"

I found myself talking through my teeth. "You can't keep rejecting her, you know."

She cast one more glance outside. "What do you mean?"

"Listen, as far as she's concerned, we're her parents." Ichigo looked outside fretfully. I gave her time to turn back to me before I continued, "And as long as we are somewhat her parents that means she our responsibility. Our."

Ichigo frowned at me. "Shirogane, I don't need this right now." She hissed, "I'm just getting to know Masaya, and I don't need someone parading around as our daughter!"

I couldn't help but scowl. Already, I had become rather defensive of Rinji. "Just think about how you would feel if your mother wanted nothing to do with you. Maybe that will help you imagine what she feels like." I paused, "She really loves you, Ichigo, and she isn't going away any time soon." With an odd sort of triumph, I turned and left, just as Masaya came into view.

* * *

"Rinji?" 

"I'm still down here, Daddy!"

I re-entered my lab to see Rinji sitting on one of the swivel chairs. "I didn't touch anything." She reported cheerfully.

"Good girl." I scratched her cat ear as if she had been a real cat, almost as if it had been habit.

"Is Mama gone?"

"Probably." I nodded. There was a short pause. "Don't take it personally, Rin-rin."

The girl thought for a second. "Um…OK. I won't." She hopped off the chair and smiled. "Can I go back upstairs?"

"Sure." I took her place as I sat down once more.

She began to jump up the stairs. About half way, she stopped. "Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for letting me stay."

I smiled a little. "My pleasure, Rin-Rin."

* * *

_Yay. End with a sweet little Father-Daughter fluff  
__Rin-Rin is a nickname given by Ryou Shirogane from Kokoro. I had to use it because its so cute.  
I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as my miniscule brain can handle more writing_


	4. Too Smart for Her Own Good

What do you mean it took a long time? –cough cough- Yeah, sorry about that. I had writers block. Sad excuse, I know, but it's all I have.

_Heh, Rinji is developing quite the fanbase, ain't she? I ramble. Anyhoo, next chapter time! –small Spoiler warning in this chapter-_

* * *

Keiichiro balanced a bag of groceries in one arm, using his other to twist the handle. He shouldered the door open and walked in. A blur shot past him, nearly causing the man to loose his grip on the bag of groceries.

"Rinji?"

The girl stopped, looking up. "Oh, hello Mr. Keiichiro." She smiled innocently.

Keiichiro placed the heavy bag down, facing the girl. "Something wrong?"

Rinji paused before shaking her head. "Nope."

A skeptical look came over the older man's face, easily detected by the eight-year-old. The girl kicked up dust, smiling sheepishly. "Uh, I'm wanted to go out on a walk…can…you tell Daddy I'm OK?"

Keiichiro sighed, looking around. "I have a feeling I shouldn't be saying this, but…" He winked at the young girl, "Go ahead."

She beamed, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Thank you Mr. Keiichiro!"

Keiichiro shook his head slowly as the girl ran off down the street. "Hm. Now I know she's a Shirogane…"

* * *

"Ichigo?"

The red head jerked her head up in surprise, looking up at the boy next to her. "Ah, yes, Masaya?" She chirped.

Masaya's brow furrowed, "Are you OK?"

The truth was, Ichigo wasn't sure. Her mind remained oddly fixated on the conversation she had just had with Ryou. His words kept ringing through her mind. _"Just think about how you would feel if your mother wanted nothing to do with you."_ A shudder shot down her spine. "Fine, Masaya." A fake smile replaced the thoughtful frown. '_He's so sweet. He cares about me.'_ The words didn't seem to have the same effect as they did the last month.

Masaya smiled warmly and looked ahead once again, talking about his kendo match that weekend. Ichigo nodded and beamed, convincing herself that she was just where she wanted to be. _'Right by Masaya's side…'_

The girl jumped suddenly as a crash came from the alleyway next to her. She planted her hands over her head frantically, pushing her ears down to her skull. _'Ugh, why now?'_ She complained to herself.

Masaya was paying no attention to her. "Hey, I wonder what that was." He gently pushed past Ichigo, walking down the narrow alleyway towards the knocked over trashcans.

Ichigo let out a sigh of relief as she felt her cat ears sink back into her head. "Ah, be careful, Masaya!" She warned, cringing.

Masaya looked over his shoulder to briefly smile at her before looking at the mess of tin trashcans laying on their side. He knelt down to one knee, holding out one hand. "Oh, it's just a kitten."

A loud hiss suddenly erupted from behind the mess and a blue bolted away from Masaya's reach. The teenage boy backed away in surprise, Ichigo gasping in surprise. _'This is insane!'_ Her mind raced, _'Animals always love Masaya! This whole day is shaping up to be a mess!'_

Masaya reappeared next to her, shaking his hand. "Little thing must have been really scared. It scratched me." He held out his hand for Ichigo to see, "Not bad though."

The Iromote Mew smiled in relief. "That's good. What a strange cat."

"Yeah." Masaya shrugged as he looked down the sidewalk. "Oh, there's an ice cream vendor over there. Do you want some ice cream?"

Ichigo didn't pause to think. "Sure!" She chirped.

Masaya laughed lightly. "I'll buy it. You can sit down, if you want. What flavor would you like?"

"Strawberry!" Ichigo chirped as she skipped off towards one of the wire table and chair sets that were gathered near the vendor. _'I'm not going to let all those weird things ruin my date!_' She decided defiantly. The red head plopped down, looking off towards the vendor to await her dates return.

"Hi, Mama."

A screech was emitted as Ichigo turned in her seat. Her cat ears vanished as quickly as they had appeared when she saw who it was. Her heart skipped a beat. "R-Rinji!"

The little girl was leaning on the table with her chin resting on her folded arms. She blinked innocently. "Hi." Rinji repeated patiently.

Ichigo had gone into panic mode. "Rinji Shirogane, what the heck are you doing here?" She whispered fiercely.

"I'm on a walk."

Ichigo looked to make sure Masaya wasn't looking. He wasn't. In relief, Ichigo leaned over, obviously angry. "Does Ryou know your out here?"

The cat girl thought. "Mr. Keiichiro does."

The red head clenched her hands. "Listen, Rinji, you need to go back to the café! As in now!"

"Why?" Rinji's eyebrow arched in confusion.

"I'm still on a date!" Ichigo glanced over her shoulder in time to see that Masaya had finished purchasing the ice cream. "And there's no way I'm telling him you're my daughter."

Rinji frowned. "Then what should I do?"

"Go home!" Masaya was coming that way.

The cat girl sighed. "But-"

"Ooooh!" Ichigo looked over her shoulder. She had to think fast, "Go over there and sit down! I'll take you back once I finish my date, OK?"

"But-"

"GO!"

Obediently, Rinji scampered off to a nearby table. Masaya sat across from Ichigo only a few minutes later. "Who was that?"

Ichigo paled a bit. "Who?"

"Wasn't there a girl talking to you?" Masaya's face was quizzical as he handed Ichigo her ice cream.

Ichigo paused. "No." She lied, licking the scoop of ice cream on top of the cone.

"Oh." Masaya smiled, though apparently still confused. "I just though-"

"So!" The pink Mew cut him off, "What about that kendo match you were telling me about?"

Masaya began to ramble again about his kendo. Ichigo smiled and nodded, but she was panicking in her head. Rinji wasn't too far away, and she wouldn't be surprised if the girl popped up and started talking to Masaya. All she could do was hope for the best.

It had been perhaps fifteen minutes when Ichigo dared to peek past Masaya towards Rinji's direction. She couldn't help but gasp. _'She's gone!'_

"Ichigo? What's wrong?" Masaya instantly looked behind him, expecting to see some sort of tragedy.

The red head's mind was racing. _'Oh, great. Where did she go?'_ Before she had even thought it over, Ichigo was on her feet. "Sorry, Masaya, but I just remembered I…uh…needed to get home. Thank you so much! But I really gotta go."

"Oh, well, OK." Masaya stood as well, "I'll see you at school."

"Right, bye!" She waved and ran off.

Ichigo herself couldn't believe she had simply left the man of her dreams standing at the table, watching her run away. But her thoughts turned towards Rinji. "Ooooh, I've gotta tell Ryou!"

* * *

I let out a cross between a sigh and a groan as I reached into the refrigerator. I grabbed a gallon of milk and poured it into a cream colored coffee mug. Ever since I had been injected with cat DNA, I had moments where I craved milk.

I lifted the cup to my mouth just as the door flung open. It was so unexpected I nearly spilled it all on the floor. "What's the big-" I cut off when I saw who it was.

Ichigo stood bent over, her breathing hard and slow. She looked up hopelessly. "R-R-Ryou." She panted.

I knew it must be serious if she called me by my first name. I lowered the cup. "What's wrong?"

"R-Rinji is missing."

I paused, looking back into the café area. A long sigh escaped my mouth. "Where'd you here that?"

"I-I saw her, and then she vanished!" The red head sounded annoyed that I wasn't worried.

I closed my eyes. "Ichigo, Rinji's here. She's been here for the past half hour."

Her brown eyes grew huge. "You're joking."

"Rinji!" I called back into the room, refocusing on the tired teenage girl. "She came back not too long ago." An amused smile tugged on my face, "You actually sounded like you were worried."

Ichigo straightened, her teeth clenched. "I left Masaya! Of course I was worried! Ugh, I never should have left! Did you know," She glared at me, "That she actually told me she didn't know her way back? Ugh, I'm such an idiot!" She began cursing her decision.

I caught Rinji peering in around the corner out of the corner of my eye. She was trying not to be seen. "Rinji." I sternly faced her.

My daughter smiled and stepped out. "Yeah, Daddy?" She glanced at Ichigo and tilted her head. "I thought you were on a date, Mama."

"Don't you dare give me that!" Ichigo snapped. "You told me you didn't know the way back."

Rinji didn't make eye contact. She shrugged. "Well, I didn't want to sit watching you on a date with Mr. Masaya. I don't like it."

"Rinji, that's not for you to decide. Don't worry your mother like that." I advised. "You shouldn't leave the café like that, especially alone. Now you go get ready for bed."

"Sorry, Mama. Sorry Daddy." She shot us a pity-inspiring look before vanishing around the corner.

Ichigo glared at me. "I-I wasn't worried."

"You burst in here claiming you lost her? You wouldn't have left Masaya if you weren't worried." I smirked triumphantly.

Ichigo clenched her teeth and growled, but didn't reply. She shook her head. "Shirogane, I…I…" She didn't finish. She simply turned to leave.

"Ichigo."

The Mew shot a look at me impatiently. I sighed. "Thanks for stopping by. If nothing else," I nodded in the direction our daughter had left, "You helped Rinji."

Her look softened. Ichigo shrugged, mumbling. "Shirogane, that girl is too smart for her own good."

"Guess that proves she's my daughter, then."

For the first time in a while, a small smile broke across the girl's face. "Definitely yours, Shirogane." Without another word, Ichigo walked out the door.

* * *

_Yay! It's finished! With RyouxIchigo fluff! Yay!_

_Oh, and if anyone was wondering, I'm not going to make Masaya cheat on Ichigo or anything. I'll figure something else out._

_Sorry for taking so long._


	5. Nightmares and phone calls

_Euuuhhh…I severely lost track of time…_

_Insert my un-eloquent plea for forgiveness here. This may be the last chapter in a while, because I'm about to enter the busiest few months of my life. Wish me luck._

_Sorry, its not very long. I wanted to have a significant endpoint. Anyway, to the story…_

* * *

A scream. It rang through the halls, echoing in a horrible way. I flung myself from the bed, snatching the thick red robe off the back of a chair as I rushed out the door. The scream stopped for a second as the source gulped for air between waning little cries. I shoved open the door to the extra room, flinging myself to my knees next to the little girl.

"Rinji!" I commanded over her horrified noise, "Rinji, calm down!" I instinctively reached out and rubbed her long cat ear.

Tears shown in her eyes and made paths down her face as the girl began hoarsely gasping for air. "D-Daddy…it…it was so bad!" She burst into tears again.

My heart still thumped from the startle her loud scream had given me. I concluded she had been having a nightmare, from the look on her face. "It's OK, Rin." I let out a long breath, "It's fine. I'm right here…"

"But you weren't!" She sobbed, "And Mama wasn't either! And-and the café was gone and Mr. Keiichiro…" She sucked in her breath to let it out again in a muffled cry.

"It was just a nightmare." I tried to soothe the paled child. "I'm right here…" I looked up as I heard footsteps approaching the door and my friend peer in, confused at the commotion. "And Mr. Keiichiro is right there…"

"But Mama isn't." Rinji sniffled quietly.

I paused. "Your Mama is fine. She's at home with her parents."

Rinji blinked multiple times, looking around the room. I could feel her shudder under my hand. "Oh…"

"Keiichiro, it's fine." I assured the man standing at the door, who had stood silent this whole time, "You can go back to bed. It was a nightmare."

"It looked real." Rinji whimpered as the brunette nodded and quietly walked back to his room.

"Dreams are like that, Rin-rin." I wasn't too good at comforting people, especially not little ones. This felt awkward, even if she was my 'daughter'.

She paused. "A-are you sure Mama's OK?" She whispered.

I wasn't, but one can't expect me to explain that to an eight year old. "Yes, Rinji."

The cat girl let out a long breath, her tail and ears twitching with anxiety. "Daddy…"

"Yeah?"

"I-I'm thirsty."

I paused. Who wouldn't after that bout of screeching? Not that I blamed her, of course. "Sure, Rin."

She sniffled and stood up, dusting off the pajamas given to her by Lettuce (apparently they used to be hers when she was Rinji's age. I didn't bother asking why she still had them). She nervously held my hand with a death-like grip as I led her downstairs to the kitchen.

She was jumpy tonight. It was rather odd. Usually she seemed to be the one making others jumpy, so it was a bit unsettling to see her so frightened of her own imagination. I suppose I had a hard time coming to grips with the fact she was a child, unlike me.

I carefully poured her a glass of water and gave it to her shaky hands. She drank it gratefully, giving only a small, barely audible 'Thank you' in return.

I realized how terrible the nightmare must have been to make her act so unnaturally. I hadn't known my own child long, but I had gotten a fair assessment of her character.

When she was finished, we once again trekked up the stairs to stop in front of the door that was temporarily the opening to Rinji's room. The eight year old peered into the darkness, her blue eyes wide with weariness and fear. She took a step in the doorway but didn't go farther in, standing rigidly just inside the door.

I looked down at the shaking child, and suddenly felt a rush of pity. She was away from her real parents in what must seem like a horribly strange world, her mother dating someone else, her father seeming not to care. And now the one person that could comfort her, her REAL dad, wasn't here. Even if her father was the same person as I was, he must be better at this whole father thing. "Rin-rin…"

Rinji lurched a bit as she turned around, her ears and tail flicking and twitching wildly. I realized with regret that I had startled her. "Rin, would you like to sleep in my room?" I asked hesitantly, "I don't like leaving you alone."

"Yes!" She whispered without hesitation, "Please! I don't wanna be alone right now."

The words only brought another unnatural rush of affection. "Of course. Come on." I felt guilty for not thinking of that in the first place.

I flicked on the light, momentarily blinding myself and the child, as our eyes had adjusted fairly well to the dark. Rinji studied my room silently, stepping inside the doorway. There really wasn't much to see: A bed, a computer desk, a chair. I followed her wandering eyes. "Something wrong, Rin?"

"…It's empty." She murmured.

"Well, I'm not up here much." I tried to console her, "And there really isn't much use for it than sleeping."

She paused for a moment before her eyes squeezed shut and she yawned quietly. I smiled, in spite of myself. "Come on, Rin, I think you're tired." I easily picked her up and set her down on my bed.

The catgirl's eyes filled with confusion. "But where are you gonna sleep, Daddy?"

I smiled gently, or as gently as I could. Smiling hadn't been my forte as of late. "Don't worry. I want you to us the bed." I straightened, "Besides…I have some work to do."

"Now?"

"Yeah." I leaned over and pat her head, "But I'll be back up soon. You just try to sleep, OK?"

"OK." A smile flickered across her face as she dove underneath the covers, holding them up to her chin. The little one rolled over to her side, closing her eyes with weariness. "Goodnight Daddy."

I quietly went to the door and flicked off the lights. "Good night, Rin."

"Thank you."

I stopped, looking back at the bed which was now a shadow in the dark. "For what?"

"For being nice to me, even though I'm not your daughter here."

I stared into the blackness. Perhaps this girl was smarter than I thought. I had never really considered she understood everything about our separate worlds perfectly. A brief smile came across my face. "It's my pleasure, Rinji." I stepped out of the door and closed it until there was only a crack left between the doorframe and the door.

Anxiety returned as I thought about Rinji's dream. Something must have happened to Ichigo in it. I knew I was being pretty silly, but I couldn't shake the feeling that maybe Rinji's dream was prophetic. So, I went downstairs to finish that business I had told the eight-year-old about.

I searched the kitchen until I found Ichigo's cell phone number. Keiichiro was very efficient with these things, unlike me, so I knew that number had to be stashed around somewhere. Usually, I just sent Masha out to do all the talking. Of course, Ichigo was holding my robot hostage now (even though I did give him to her), so I would have to revert to calling her. Oh, what fun this would be.

The phone rang. I waited impatiently as it continued to do so about four more times. I was beginning to get suspicious until there was a tiny 'click'. "Hello?" At first, I wasn't even sure if it was Ichigo. She sounded like she was so tired she was willing to fall over. That, and the phone always distorts people's voices. But as soon as I heard her yawn with a badly disguised 'nya' in it, I knew it was her.

"You sound like the living dead, strawberry." I mocked, probably sounding just as tired.

All sleepiness was replaced with anger. "What's the big idea, Shirogane?" She hissed. She probably would have yelled if it wasn't for her parents. "This better be good, or I'll kill you tomorrow!"

I didn't doubt it either. But those words made me realize I had no good reason. What could I say? Our daughter had a dream that got me worried? Oh, she would love that. "Than I suppose I'll be hiding all tomorrow…" I glanced at the clock, "Or today."

"Is this a game?" She snapped, raising her voice. I heard her squeak, than speak in a tone two times as quiet. "If no one's in trouble and no aliens are attacking, I need my sleep."

I paused. "I…was just making sure you weren't out running around, in trouble like you've done before."

"Yes, oh mighty chaperone, I HAD been sleeping."

I leaned on the counter, running my hand upwards on my forehead, brushing back my bangs. Even when I took my hand away, they still stuck up in gravity defying form. "Rinji woke me up screaming." I sighed, "She said she had a nightmare that something bad happened to you. I guess she wanted me to call to see you were all right."

That last part was a lie and I knew it. But I suppose Ichigo wouldn't be so mad if I shoved the responsibility on a child. There was a pause on the other side of the phone, and, for a second, I was sure she had hung up. "Ichigo?"

"I'm here." She paused again, but not as long, "And I'm fine. How's Rinji?"

"Out of character." I let out a silent breath of air. She believed it. "She's all jumpy and shaking and stuff…"

"And you did comfort her, right?" She grilled me.

"Of course." I chuckled under my breath, "I'm not totally hard hearted, you know."

"I'm not so sure." She stifled a giggle at her own joke.

"Stupid strawberry…"

"Hey!"

A faint smile once again flickered across my features. "I should go. Rinji is probably waiting." I paused, "I suppose I should be sorry for waking you up."

"That would be polite." The mew pointed out.

I gripped the phone. "Then I'm sorry."

She paused. "Thanks. Bye."

"Bye."

There was another click as the red head hung up the phone. I stared at the object in my hand blankly, my mind drawing up nothing. That was a strange conversation. I had lied, too. I knew very well why I had called her. I was worried that something had happened to her.

I slowly placed the gray phone back on the hook. None of it mattered, anyway. She and Masaya were destined to be together, it was fate. And there is no room for self-pity in fate.

Begrudgingly, I pulled myself back up the stairs for the third time and went to my room. Rinji was breathing softly and rhythmically, signifying she was asleep. I quietly slipped in the door with as little noise as possible, sliding into the computer chair. I could barely make out the girl's small form huddled under the covers. I had to face it, Rinji was one smart kid. But I pitied her attempts to make Ichigo and I get together. I knew what she had been doing. But if Ichigo had anything to say about it, there was no way in this world that could happen. I used to deal with that quite well, but now…it made me feel strange. Like I was angry at someone, but didn't know who.

I shook my head. Perhaps this was too much thinking. I leaned back in the seat so that my head rested against the back of the rough fabric. Everything seemed quite unreal since Rinji showed up at the cafes front door. I had been working on the time machine in the basement, but I suddenly didn't want to. I liked having the little girl around, even if she did cause quite a bit of trouble. Ichigo was starting to like her, too, as I could tell from our short phone conversation. And yet, I couldn't shake that their was something the girl wasn't telling me…or anyone for that matter.

I'm not sure when I nodded off, but I was still pondering these things when it I did.

* * *

_Huzzah! I actually finished it. Poor Ryou. I'm pitying myown writing.Sorry it's so short. I'll try to produce the next chapter amidst my schedule. Thank you to everyone who's still reading it. I read the reviews, really…_

_Anyway, chapter six, hopefully coming soon._


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